Behcet's syndrome is a multi-systemic and chronic disorder that affects many organs. It has been suggested that the diagnosis was based on the presence of the 'major' and 'minor' clinical criteria. When thromobophlebitis, arthritis, central nervous system or gastrointestinal lesions are also present. Behcet's syndrome will be thought to be present in the appropriate geographic area. We report a case of superior vena cava syndrome caused by Behcet's disease in a 40-year-old man with recurrent oral aphthous ulcers and skin rashes on the anterior chest wall. There were multiple thrombosis of the superior vena cava, innominate and subclavian veins. This patient also had a solitary cecal ulcer with an ileocecal fistula and downhill varix. The chest CT, veno-cavography, pulmonary angiography and colon study were taken and follow-up was performed.
Adult ; Behcet's Syndrome/diagnosis ; Behcet's Syndrome/complications* ; Cecal Diseases/complications ; Human ; Intestinal Fistula/complications ; Male ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome/etiology* ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome/diagnosis ; Ulcer/complications

Superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome refers to a medical emergency resulting from compression of the SVC. It requires early diagnosis and treatment, and is usually caused by malignant tumors; rarely, mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis can cause SVC syndrome. Here, we present a case study of an immunocompetent 61-year-old woman who presented with acute onset SVC syndrome and was diagnosed with tuberculous lymphadenitis on thoracotomy; the symptoms resolved with anti-tuberculosis therapy. This unusual case highlights the importance of the differential diagnosis in patients presenting with acute onset SVC syndrome; a timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment lead to complete recovery.
Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Early Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphadenitis ; Middle Aged ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome* ; Thoracotomy ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node* ; Vena Cava, Superior*

Thrombosis is an important complication of central venous catheterization. Among the many intrinsic and extrinsic factors, the patient's medical disease can play a role in thrombogenesis. Behcet's disease (BD), classified as a vasculitis, is a multisystem disease involving the small blood vessels. It is often difficult to recognize and diagnose the disease. A 24-yr-old female patient showed massive central venous thrombosis which caused superior vena cava syndrome after subclavian vein catheterization. Twenty days after catheterization, the patient exhibited swelling of the face, neck, and both upper extremities. Despite thrombectomy and continuous anticoagulation therapy, her facial and upper extremity swelling reappeared and follow-up chest computed tomography (CT) showed the recurrent thrombosis in the same central veins previously affected. A diagnosis of BD was then made. Following steroid therapy, neither clinical symptoms nor CT findings suggestive of central venous thrombosis were observed during the subsequent 6-months of follow-up period. This case emphasizes that central venous catheterization in a patient with BD should be performed with great caution.
Adult ; Behcet's Syndrome/*complications ; Case Report ; Catheterization, Central Venous/*adverse effects ; Female ; Human ; Phlebography ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome/diagnosis/*etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vena Cava, Superior

Superior vena cava syndrome can occur from benign conditions that might not alter life expectancy. Here we present a case of a superior vena cava (SVC) obstruction caused by soft tissue encircling the SVC, which was strongly suspected of being an unusual focal type of fibrosing mediastinitis. A 39-year-old man with no prior medical history presented with a four-week history of facial plethora, headache and dilated veins of the neck with a dark purple color change on the anterior chest wall. Radiology examinations, including venography, and computed tomography with a 3-dimensional volume-rendering image of the chest, had revealed severe narrowing of the SVC due to tiny encircling soft tissue and collateral vessels. A total occlusion of the SVC occurred as a result of a thrombus that developed within 1 day after the diagnostic SVC angiogram. The patient underwent stent deployment three days after the administration of thrombolytic therapy.
Adult ; Fibrinolytic Agents/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; *Stents ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome/*diagnosis/etiology/surgery

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mediastinoscopy ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Stents ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome ; diagnosis ; therapy

BACKGROUNDThe pathological diagnosis is of critical importance to the subsequent treatment for the pathients with superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS). The aim of this study is to report our experience in the diagnosis of SVCS by endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA).

METHODSThe data of 520 patients who underwent EBUS-TBNA from September 2009 to May 2012 at our institution were reviewed. Of these, there were 14 males and 6 females (mean age of 59.1 years) with SVCS who received EBUS-TBNA that were included in the analysis.

RESULTSThe mean short axis diameter of the paratracheal lesions was (3.32 ± 1.79) cm (range, 1.69 to 9.50 cm) and 6 cases also had subcarinal lymph node enlargement with a mean short axis diameter of (2.14 ± 0.49) cm (range, 1.73 to 3.01 cm). An average of 4.3 punctures was performed per lesion. Malignancy was confirmed in 16 cases (10 small cell carcinomas, 4 adenocarcinomas, 1 squamous cell carcinoma and 1 Hodgkin lymphoma). In two patients, pathological examination of tissue revealed no evidence of malignancy and for 13 to 24 months of follow-up. One patient from whom adequate tissue was not obtained refused further surgical biopsy since he had undergone endovascular stenting of the SVC. One patient in whom a diagnosis was not obtained by EBUS-TBNA underwent thoracoscopic biopsy and the final diagnosis was B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The diagnosis accuracy of EBUS-TBNA in SVCS was 18/20 patients.

CONCLUSIONEBUS-TBNA is a highly effective and safe procedure for the diagnosis of SVCS.

Adult ; Aged ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Bronchoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Image-Guided Biopsy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome ; diagnosis

Arteriovenous Fistula ; complications ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Child ; Contrast Media ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vena Cava, Superior ; abnormalities ; diagnostic imaging

We present a case of a patient exhibiting isolated elevation of the central venous pressure with minimal hemodynamic deterioration in an immediate postoperative period after Bentall operation requiring re-exploration. Isolated elevation of the central venous pressure usually alerts physicians of a volume overload or right ventricular dysfunction. However, even in the absence of significant hemodynamic deterioration, the development of loculated hematoma that compresses the superior vena cava should be ruled out, as it can be life-threatening through the formation of cerebral and laryngeal edema, similar to superior vena cava syndrome. This case emphasizes the importance of a prompt differential diagnosis of the isolated central venous pressure elevation after cardiac surgery with transesophageal echocardiography for the administration of appropriate treatment.
Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; Central Venous Pressure* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Hematoma* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Laryngeal Edema ; Postoperative Period ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome ; Thoracic Surgery ; Vena Cava, Superior* ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Right

We reviewed 30 cases of superior vena cava syndrome in adult patients who were seen at the Yeungnam University Hospital from January 1985 to June 1990. The results were as follows: 1. The male-to-female ratio was 6.5:1, and the most patients were in the age group between the sixth and seventh decades. 2. The most common symptoms were dyspnea (87%) and followed by cough (63%), facial swelling (63%) and chest pain (44%) and the physical signs were dilated neck vein (97%), facial edema (93%) and facial flushing (45%) in order of frequency. 3. The simple chest x-ray findings were superior mediastinal widening (90%), right hilar mass (77%) and pleural effusion (31%). 4. Diagnosis was made by history and physical examination (100%), chest C-T scan (100%), simple chest x-ray (97%), bronchoscopy with biopsy (40%) and so on. 5. 21 cases of patients were confirmed by histology: 14 cases (46%) of bronchogenic ca, 4 cases (14%) of lymphoma, 3 cases (10%) of metastatic lung ca. Of bronchogenic ca, small cell ca was 7 cases (23%), squamous cell ca, 5 cases (17%), and unclassified cawas 2 cases (6%). 6. In response of treatment, the clinical improvement was achieved in 18 cases with radiotherapy alone, 1 case with chemotherapy only, and 6 cases with radio-chemotherapy.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bronchoscopy ; Chest Pain ; Cough ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea ; Edema ; Epithelial Cells ; Flushing ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lymphoma ; Neck ; Physical Examination ; Pleural Effusion ; Radiotherapy ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome* ; Thorax ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior*

Behcet's disease is a chronic multisystemic disorder involving many organs and characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers and relapsing iritis. A case of BD with large vein thrombosis involving superior and inferior vena cava is presented. Large vein thrombosis in BD is not commonly developed and most commonly observed in the inferior or superior vena cava. A review of the literature emphasizes the rarity of the combined superior and inferior vena caval occlusion. Existence of extensive large vein occlusion in BD is associated with limited therapy and poor prognosis.
Adult ; Behcet's Syndrome/diagnosis ; Behcet's Syndrome/complications* ; Disease Progression ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Fibrinolytic Agents/therapeutic use ; Human ; Phlebography ; Thrombosis/etiology* ; Thrombosis/drug therapy ; Thrombosis/diagnosis ; Vena Cava, Inferior/radiography* ; Vena Cava, Superior/radiography* ; Substances: Fibrinolytic Agents